Beast Evolution Forge-Chapter 164: Luna 1

That night, as the others slept, Vell found himself drawn to the edge of their camp. The silver threads of the Void Lattice seemed more active here, pulsing with an internal light that only he could see. They wove through the trees like ghostly ribbons, all trending toward the distant village.

[The network is stronger here. Luna’s presence affects it.]

’How much did she know about all this?’ he wondered, creating a small patch of solid air between his fingers. The silver energy came more easily now, responding to his thoughts almost before he consciously directed it.

[Enough to help you create it. Though I doubt she knows everything.]

A soft rustle caught his attention. Wren shifted to her weasel form and was padding toward him on silent feet. She transformed back to human as she reached his side.

"More silver threads?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "They’re all pointing toward Moonhaven. Whatever Luna knows, the network knows it too."

"Do you think she’ll remember you?"

"I’m not sure I want her to," he admitted. The thought of being recognized - of having to face a past he couldn’t remember - made him uneasy.

She was quiet for a moment. "Because of what you might learn?"

"Because of what I might have to do with that knowledge." He turned to look at her. "Wren, if things get dangerous tomorrow-"

"Don’t," she cut him off. "We’re not leaving you. Any of us."

The conviction in her voice made his chest tight. These girls - his family - they trusted him completely, even knowing he had hidden things from them. Even suspecting what he might be.

[They see who you are now, not who you were.]

’But which is the real me?’

A chill wind rustled through the trees. In the distance, something howled - not quite wolf, not quite human. The silver threads shivered.

"Get some sleep," he told Wren. "Tomorrow will be... interesting."

She nodded and returned to her bedroll, but he noticed she positioned herself where she could watch both him and the direction of the village.

As the night deepened, he stared into the night, his thoughts drifting onto the hollow throne. Just what happened to him and why does he feel like he is missing a big and very important piece.

[You’re starting to remember how it felt, aren’t you? The weight of it.]

’The weight of what?’

[The choice. The separation. The knowing what had to be done.]

He traced on the seals on his hand and then took the notes and traced on the symbols around the throne’s base. Silver light followed his finger, making the mark glow briefly before fading.

’Did I choose to split myself? Or was it forced on me?’

[That’s the question that matters most. The answer will tell you which half you really are.]

Dawn came too quickly, painting the sky in shades of rose and gold. As they broke camp and prepared for the final leg of their journey, Vell noticed Ruby watching him with unusual intensity.

"What is it this time?" he asked.

"Your eyes," she said. "They look different. Like there’s silver in them now."

He hadn’t thought to check his reflection since absorbing the core. What other changes were happening that he hadn’t noticed?

The walk to Moonhaven took less than an hour. It was a small village, just a cluster of houses and shops around a central square. But he could see the silver threads were densest here, creating a web so thick it almost obscured the buildings beneath.

And at the center of it all stood a small house with a purple door.

"That’s where we need to go," he said, though he couldn’t have explained how he knew.

As they approached the house, the air grew thick with power. The silver threads seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat.

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"Master?" Ada’s voice was worried. "Should we knock, or..."

Before he could answer, the purple door swung open. A woman stood in the doorway - tall, with silver-streaked black hair and eyes that held too much knowledge.

"Well," she said, her voice carrying echoes of memory he couldn’t quite grasp. "I wondered when you’d finally find your way back here."

Her gaze moved past him to the girls, and something like sadness crossed her face.

"More of them? You never learn, do you?"

[....]

"Come in," she said, stepping aside. "We have much to discuss. About the fractures. About the Hollow Throne." She paused, her eyes meeting his. "About what you really are."

As they crossed the threshold, he felt the silver threads tighten around them like a net. There would be no easy escape from whatever truths waited inside.

But then, that’s what they came for, wasn’t it? The truth, no matter how dangerous it might be.

The purple door swung shut behind them with a sound like destiny closing its fist.

Her house was larger inside than it appeared from the street. Books and scrolls covered every surface, and strange implements hung from the ceiling - crystals, mirrors, and things Vell couldn’t name but somehow recognized.

"Sit," she said, gesturing to a cluster of mismatched chairs. As they settled, she moved to a cluttered workbench and began brewing tea.

The silver threads were even more visible inside, weaving through the air like living things. They seemed to concentrate around certain objects - an ancient-looking sword mounted on one wall, a black mirror that showed no reflections, and most notably, a small wooden box carved with familiar symbols.

[The box. That’s important.]

’I know. But why?’

"So," she said, turning back with a tray of steaming cups, "you’ve started remembering." It wasn’t a question.

"Pieces," he admitted. "Fragments. Enough to know I’m not who I thought I was."

She handed out the tea, her movements precise and deliberate. "And your other half? Have you felt it stirring?"

The girls exchanged confused looks, but Vell kept his eyes on Luna. "The Hollow Throne. Something’s trying to break free."

"Not break free," she corrected. "Return. There’s a difference." She settled into a high-backed chair that seemed to absorb light around its edges. "Tell me what you remember."

"I created the fractures. As seals, or... pressure valves. To contain something." He gestured at his chest. "Part of myself."

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She nodded. "Go on."

"The fractures form a network - the Void Lattice. It’s everywhere, connecting... watching..." He frowned. "But I don’t remember why. Why split myself? Why create such an elaborate system?"

"Because a simple prison wouldn’t hold what needed containing." Her eyes were distant, remembering. "We tried that first. It... didn’t end well."

"We?" Ruby asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

Luna’s gaze shifted to the girls. "Yes. I helped him create the system. Though I warned him about taking pets again."

"Again?" Wren’s voice was quiet but firm. "There were others before us?" ’did she just call us pets?’

[Be careful. This knowledge could hurt them.]

’You know what she is talking about?’

Luna stood and walked to the black mirror. "Show them," she commanded.

The mirror’s surface rippled like dark water. Images began to form - different versions of Vell with different groups of parties. Fighting monsters. Learning magic. Growing stronger.

And dying. Every group, in different ways, but always protecting him. Always sacrificing themselves for him.

"Stop," he said hoarsely. The mirror went dark.

Silence filled the room. He couldn’t look at the girls, couldn’t bear to see their reactions.

"Now you understand why I was surprised to see you with a party again," she said softly. "How many times must you watch them die before you learn?"

"We’re different," Ruby declared, her tail bristling. "We’re stronger than them."

"They all said that." Her voice was gentle but firm. "They all believed it."

"Why?" Wren asked. Not angry, just seeking understanding. "Why did they die?"

Luna returned to her chair. "Because of what he is. What he contains." She looked at Vell. "Or rather, what he doesn’t contain anymore."

"The other half," he said. "The part sealed in the Hollow Throne."

"Yes." Luna lifted the carved box from its shelf. "Your power was too great, too dangerous to exist in one vessel. It had to be split. But the separation created... complications."

"Like what?" Ada asked.

"Like the fact that both halves constantly try to reunite. Like the way his presence draws danger, attracts creatures from beyond the barriers." She set the box on a table between them. "Like the way his pets invariably die trying to protect him during these encounters."

The girls were quiet, processing this. But Vell noticed none of them moved away from him. If anything, they seemed to draw closer.

"So tell me," she continued, "why did you come here? What made you start remembering?"

He explained about the fracture mission, the researcher’s notes, absorbing the core. As he spoke, her expression grew increasingly troubled.

"The core merged with you completely?" she asked when he finished. "No rejection? No adverse effects?"

"None. It felt... natural."

She cursed softly. "Then it’s happening faster than we predicted. The barriers are weakening."

"What happens if they fail completely?" Regina asked.

Luna opened the carved box, revealing a small crystal that pulsed with familiar silver light. "Then the halves will reunite. And everything we sacrificed to prevent that will have been for nothing."

[She’s not telling you everything.]

’.....’

"There’s more," he said, watching her face. "Something you’re not saying."

"ugh, she is with you isn’t she? Viana?" She stared at him with a sly mask, "why don’t you come out of there."